Sunday, October 31, 2010

HaEtzni Condemns "Price Tag" Policy

What at first appeared to be individual mischievous acts, and later became methodical “hooliganism,” is increasingly taking the shape of a threatening phenomenon: The desecration of an Arab cemetery and the torching of mosques, schools, fields and vehicles.

The perpetrators of these crimes refer to them as “price tag,” an infuriating term in terms of both morality and logic.

...Here, the perpetrators are not even targeting anonymous Arabs to avenge the acts of other Arabs; rather, we see Jews hurting Arabs who are not accused of anything only in order to “pay back” other Jews...

The “price tag” lawbreakers won’t like this truth, yet with their acts they are hitting the nadir of their worst Arab enemies, whose revenge is blind even within their own people, where it’s enough for the victim to belong to a certain tribe or clan. Questions of justice and morality, such as the victim’s innocence, are irrelevant.

Yet who thought that young Jews would adopt this despicable method and settle their scores with authorities through burned down mosques?

When condemning the “price tag” low point aimed at innocents, we must stay away from sophisticated PLO-style statements: That is, bogus condemnations while assigning blame to the victim. We must not remain silent...the “price tag” tactic also does not “pay off”, as it taints the settlement enterprise - which is as just and moral as it gets – more than radical leftist smearing could ever do. Nonetheless, the public outcry must discount any such cost-benefit considerations. We must not show restraint, we must not get used to it, and we must not tolerate a wicked tactic of hurting people who had done no wrong, regardless of who these people are.

We must also not justify the “price tag” actions indirectly...The defense minister’s cruelty towards Jews does not justify a “response” directed at Arabs. If we lose our humanity along the way, one day we’ll be asking what’s the point of it all...

About Me

American born, my wife and I moved to Israel in 1970. We have lived at Shiloh together with our family since 1981. I was in the Betar youth movement in the US and UK. I have worked as a political aide to Members of Knesset and a Minister during 1981-1994, lectured at the Academy for National Studies 1977-1994, was director of Israel's Media Watch 1995-2000 and currently, I work at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. I was a guest media columnist on media affairs for The Jerusalem Post, op-ed contributor to various journals and for six years had a weekly media show on Arutz 7 radio. I serve as an unofficial spokesperson for the Jewish Communities in Judea & Samaria.